Phila. Studies Response To Street-Person Violence

It seemed safe stroll a busy Philadelphia street on a sunny summer day, but as she crossed the street, a woman heard hollering behind her from a demented man. Before she could turn, a crashing blow to the head sent her staggering, says the Philadelphia Daily News. In another attack, a homeless man last week stabbed an intern from the district attorney’s office in broad daylight. A judge this week ordered the accused assailant to undergo a mental health evaluation and set his bail at $750,000.

Although Mayor John Street last summer ordered a crackdown on panhandlers on downtown streets, some merchants, residents, and workers say the city needs to work harder to clear out the sidewalk stalkers whose drug- or illness-induced derangement intimidates – and occasionally injures – tourists and streetwise locals alike. The city in 1998 enacted a sidewalk-behavior bill that banned begging for money aggressively, such as shouting at passers-by, and soliciting within eight feet of a building entrance. The law doesn’t address sidewalk loiterers who accost passers-by for reasons other than money. When sidewalk loiterers have apparent mental issues, officers are instructed to contact social- service agencies to send trained counselors to intervene. Civil libertarians object, saying people have a constitutional right to congregate on sidewalks. This month’s stabbing proves the need for a stiffer city sidewalk law, one city official said.

The execution of Carey Dean Moore went forward on Tuesday after a federal appeals court denied a drug company's request to halt the lethal injection over concerns about whether the drugs were obtained improperly by the state.

A new report by the American Bar Association's Senior Lawyers Division makes nine recommendations and suggests 45 "action items" that it says can advance public health efforts to confront the opioid epidemic. One recommendation calls for promoting policies and laws that support families and caregivers struggling with opioid and substance misuse disorders.

In a report issued Tuesday, the Prison Policy Initiative found that people who have been to prison are 10 times more likely to be homeless than the general public. Recommended policy initiatives include barring housing discrimination against returning citizens.

A hearing on state Senate Bill 1391, which would prevent youths under 16 from being sent to adult courts, is scheduled Thursday. Supporters say it will reduce recidivism rates and better rehabilitate and prepare youth for successful, productive reentry into society.